International Food Festival celebrates local culture in Brixton

Brixton Station Road has been full of food stalls this past week in participation of Brixton Food Festival, hosted by Brixton Bid in aid of enhancing the potential of locally run businesses. Brimming with hot savoury mains, delicious home-baked cakes and freshly squeezed juices, Saturday’s International Food Market has brought together cuisines from all over the world and the multicultural community of south London and across the capital.

Street food stalls served up authentically produced nourishment such as Bickles, a Caribbean food eatery based in Brixton, whose menu included a hot and juicy jerk chicken wrap filled with refreshing coleslaw and salad. Fresh gourmet burgers by Rare Str’eat offered street diners with healthy burgers, handmade by two dressed to impress, topped with a slice of their pleasingly large wedge of cheese. On a relaxed note, the Ethiopian Coffee Company stall, dressed with drapery, provided a rich brew to customers who would chat cheerfully and people-watch, whilst a few home-baked cakes and sweets stalls attracted the attentions of delighted children. MeanGreen Foods served up brilliant vegan and vegetarian food, and Twisted Potato Crisps made playing with food both fun and delicious with organic potato spirals on bamboo sticks.

Music kept the bustling crowd entertained, as they tasted the delicacies of the stalls, which had colourful bunting zigzagging between them all down the street. Guest speakers of this particular lunchtime event included Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE, a business and land owner, and Mark Bennett, the Mayor of Lambeth, who both spoke keenly about multiculturalism in Brixton and how it benefits not only the community spirit, but also the local businesses that depend on it.

The main celebrity of the speeches was Levi Roots of the renowned Reggae Reggae Sauce, which the entrepreneur launched in 2006 and has since become a household brand. A Brixton man himself, he spoke proudly of the area and its lively people. With cheers from the crowd, Roots brought together what Brixton Food Festival has always encouraged: a faithful support of local businesses through the warm variety of food and cultures.

Angela Chan

For further information about Brixton Food Festival and future events, visit here.